1. Field of the Invention.
Aseptic packaging is finding increasing acceptance for various liquids. For example, such packaging is commonly employed for fruit juices and milk products. Additionally, such packaging has been employed for medical solutions such as those employed during enteral (as opposed to intravenous) feeding. The present invention relates to the latter and, more particularly, to a system for the delivery of a solution from an aseptic package for enteral application, as by nasal gauge.
2. Description of the Prior Art.
For the purposes of the present specification and claims, the term "aseptic packaging" is intended to embrace the packaging of various liquids within a carton, the carton being of the type that is punctured to gain access to the packaged liquid. When the packaged liquid is a food product, such as juices or milk products, it is common to puncture the packaging, at a preselected location, and withdraw the liquid through a straw. In Europe, it is known to provide a "tap" which is pointed such that it may be employed to puncture a side wall of the packaging and which has a fluid passage allowing the contained liquid to be poured through the tap.
The characteristics of the noted packaging systems render their use desirable in many medical applications. For example, it is often desirable or necessary to deliver liquids to a person by a nasal tube for such purposes as enteral feeding, the delivery of nutrients, the delivery of medication, etc. Aseptic packaging is often suitable for such liquids. However, typical packaging techniques employed to form such packaging have limited the amount of liquid that may be contained within the packaging. For example, many known prior art packaging machines cannot handle liquid quantities in excess of approximately 1/2 liter. Thus, while aseptic packaging has been employed for certain medical solutions, it has often been the practice to open the packages and empty their contents into a more traditional container for enteral delivery of the solution, as by nasal gauge. More recent packaging techniques do allow the packaging of liquid quantities in the one liter. Further, the tap, described above in the context of food products, has the drawback of not discharging the liquid in an even flow but, instead, discharges the contents of the package intermittently so as to allow air to enter the container through the tap.